One Way to Find the Porsche of your Dreams

For a lot of us, the Porsche of our "dreams" is not always a new Porsche. It might be a used Porsche. For some it's an air-cooled classic (Porsche 356, early 911, 930, 993, etc.), or a low-mileage, highly optioned late 996 or early 997, while others may be interested in something like a 928 GTS, a limited edition Boxster, or tricked out Cayman for track use. You get the idea. If you want access to some of the best used Porsches on the market, simply checking the usual sources (Panamera, Craigslist, eBay, AutoTrader, Rennlist, etc.) won't get you there. The fact is, almost all of the best Porsches are sold long before they make it into a publication or get listed online. In other words, they are sold before you even know they were for sale!

This trio of Porsche Speedsters at TruSpeed Motorcars is a great example of why you need an inside relationship. So far, only the red one has made it onto the site. While the other two are still for sale, inside parties have the first shot at them.

Ask any large independent Porsche dealer (even Franchised Porsche dealers for that matter) and I'm sure they will tell you about the long wish list of Porsches they are constantly on the lookout for. This "wish list" is a compilation of two things. 1. Porsches they know that will sell well if put in inventory, and; 2. The hopes, wants and dreams of some of their closest customers (notice I said closest and not necessarily best. More on this in a minute).

Pick up the phone and "Talk Porsche"!

Most Porsche dealers, have a long list of people they speak with on a regular basis. They know what Porsche(s) they want, what they want to pay for them and, more importantly, how and where to find them. When that special Porsche does become available it's often never even offered to the public. The dealer simply picks up the phone, let's their client know they found their Porsche and a transaction is completed (that might be oversimplifying, but you get the idea). I know what you're thinking, this type of relationship is reserved for their best customers. People who have already purchased a Porsche, if not a dozen of them, from the dealer. If this is what you think, you're wrong!

Earlier, I made the distinction between "closest customers" and "best customers". There is a difference. Customers that buy numerous Porsches from the same dealer will, by right and good business practice, get preferential service. However, you too can be treated in a very similar manner, even if you haven't done business with the Porsche dealer in question, simply by picking up the phone. That's right, all you have to do is call, and strike up a conversation, with someone like Dave Cohen, General Manager of TruSpeed in Costa Mesa, CA (TruSpeed is a PorschePurist site sponsor).

According to Dave, "it's our business to get to know our customers and we're happy to talk about Porsches all day long.", said Cohen. "You have to remember, we're always looking for new sources of supply, so these type of relationships are welcome. If we help you find that perfect Porsche, not only have we gained a new friend and customer, but at some point you may have another Porsche to trade that might just be sitting on the wish list of another TruSpeed customer."

I remember when John was looking for his 993. He had something very particular in mind and spent weeks on the phone getting to know the various dealers that specialized in air-cooled cars. I think over the course of a month he spent more time talking with Michael Willhoit about 993s than he did talking to me. 🙂 As a result, he struck up a strong and lasting relationship (that endures today as Willhoit is also a site sponsor) and was able to find a '97 993 C4S with very low mileage, his list of must have options and a very special and rare color. If it hadn't been for that relationship with Michael, he would still have purchased a 993, but it might not have been the perfect one.

So, there you have it. It really is that easy. Finding the Porsche of your dreams might not happen overnight, but you can do it a lot easier with the help of a specialist. Besides TruSpeed and Willhoit you can also check-in with Richard Sloan, Kevin and Cam at Road Scholars or Wally at Porsche of Hilton Head (as the sales manager of one of the top authorized Porsche Dealers in the country, Wally gets some great cars in on trade) . Anyone of them would be happy to talk with you. Heck, even if you're not in the market for a Porsche right now, all of those mentioned in this article are a wealth of Porsche knowledge and generally don't tire when it comes to talking about their favorite subject.

Do you know of a better way to find the Porsche of your dreams? If so, let us know...

2 Comments

Another source for air cooled Porsches is Victory Motorcars in Houston, Texas. The owner, Robert Neal, is a strong supporter of the Lone Star Region PCA and has one of the largest (if not the largest) internet Porsche sales in the world.

He works very much as described in the article – identifying cars for which he has a customer or one that is particularly sought, and he also loves to talk about Porsches and his inventory or your dream car.